Potters Crouch · Hertfordshire
Two and a half miles west of St Albans, far enough down Potterscrouch Lane that you have to mean it. Wisteria over the front in spring, log burners for the winter, and a garden that runs all summer.
The pub
Low beams, antique furniture, brick fireplaces and a bar that curves round to meet you.
The Holly Bush is a Fuller's house at Potters Crouch, a hamlet on the lanes between St Albans and Hemel Hempstead. It is whitewashed, it is old, and it is genuinely hard to find by accident – which is most of the point.
Inside there are log burners, dark panelling hung with pictures, and a dining room with proper laid tables rather than benches. The bar keeps Fuller's London Pride, ESB and Seafarers on cask, alongside a full spirits shelf.
Eat
Classic British dishes with French and global touches, cooked in house, with a run of daily specials on the board.
| Day | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Kitchen closed · bar open from noon | |
| Tuesday | 12:00 – 15:00 | 18:00 – 21:00 |
| Wednesday | 12:00 – 15:00 | 18:00 – 21:00 |
| Thursday | 12:00 – 15:00 | 18:00 – 21:00 |
| Friday | 12:00 – 15:00 | 18:00 – 21:00 |
| Saturday | 12:00 – 21:00, straight through | |
| Sunday | 11:30 – 18:00 | |
If you need to know about allergens in any of our food or drink we are happy to go through it before you come, or ask your server on the day.
Sunday
The kitchen opens at half eleven on a Sunday and runs through to six, so there is no scramble for a one o'clock table. Meats are chosen for character rather than convenience: 35-day aged topside from heritage Longhorn cattle, Tamworth pork, free-range chicken basted with butter, herbs and garlic.
Everything comes with crisp roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, seasonal greens and roots. Cauliflower cheese, pigs in blankets, braised red cabbage and a four-cheese macaroni are there on the side if the table wants them. There is a beetroot and butternut squash wellington with a vegan gravy, and a trio of beef, pork and chicken for anyone who refuses to pick.
Puddings keep it simple – Bramley apple crumble, sticky toffee, a double-baked chocolate brownie, or a board of Westcombe cheddar, blue and brie with a roast onion chutney.
Outside
Behind the pub is a proper lawn – not a paved yard with three tables on it. Heavy timber benches, a bird bath, a covered marquee along one side for when Hertfordshire does what Hertfordshire does, and enough space that a dog and a pushchair are not a problem.
In spring the front of the building disappears under wisteria. By winter the same building has its log burners lit and the garden is for the hardy. Both are the same pub, which is the useful thing about it.
Find us
Off the road between St Albans and Hemel Hempstead. Satnav gets you there; the lane is narrow, so take it slowly.
Parking on site.
Tables are taken over the phone. Ring the pub and someone behind the bar will sort it.
| Monday | 12:00 – 20:00 |
|---|---|
| Tue – Thu | 12:00 – 22:30 |
| Friday | 12:00 – 22:30 |
| Saturday | 12:00 – 23:00 |
| Sunday | 12:00 – 21:00 |